Don Norman - Emotional Design

“Don Norman studies how real people interact with design, exploring the gulf between what a designer intends and what a regular person actually wants.” - (http://www.ted.com/)

After watching the video, “Emotional Design,” we are given a better understanding of how human emotional responses affect the design world. Don Norman explains the importance of emotion in design and how the different responses and relationships between humans and products ultimately alter the designs. The human subconscious plays a major role in determining these responses and interactions.

Don Norman has a theory of emotion that he uses when critiquing designs, Beauty - the aesthetics of the product, its functionality and if it is reflective – creates a story for the user.

One of the products that he says fits into all these categories is a global cutting knife, made in Japan. It is has a beautiful shape and is wonderful to look at, there is a perfect balance between the handle and the cutting blade and holds and feels well, also it is very sharp and easily cuts and you can tell stories about it which make it reflective.

Don Norman expresses that the emotional side of design may be more critical to a product’s success than its practical elements and that attractive things work better than ugly ones. I believe this statement to some extent, as an example, the Philippe Starck Juicer, it is a beautifully designed product but functionally does not work well as a juicer. The product was still incredibly successful because consumers bought it because it created an emotional response in them greater than the need for its function. Norman suggests that when humans perceive design objects, they respond in three emotional levels: Viscerally (do I like the appearance?), Behaviourally (does it work?) and Reflectively (will I use it again?).

Emotions play a major part in the design society from the clients and consumers to the manufacturers and designers themselves. The consumers’ emotional responses determine whether they should buy something because it is eco-friendly or expensive looking to impress their peers, even if it is not functionally sound. Norman also goes into details of how designers emotional responses affect the designs they make. If designers are happy and relaxed they will come up with a lot more creative ideas, start to think outside the box, although the job will never get done because new ideas and theories will keep arising. If designers are anxious and confronted they will focus a lot more to getting the job in hand completed.